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Three Indiana horses test positive for EIA, prompting state alert

INDIANAPOLIS — Three horses on a south-central Indiana farm recently tested positive for equine infectious leukemia (EIA), prompting the State Board of Animal Health to issue an alert.

State and federal veterinarians have been working with the owner to identify the source of infection and how far it has spread, the board says. The infected horses were euthanized; two others in close contact tested negative but still are under quarantine.

EIA is an untreatable and incurable vector-borne viral disease that results in death within a month of infection in 30 percent to 50 percent of cases. The disease is transmitted through horses' blood by insects, so pest control is critical, the board says.

Animals infected with EIA must be euthanized or branded and permanently quarantined. When one case is found, it must be reported to the state and the remainder of the herd must be tested, the board says.